HONG KONG PREVIEW: RANGEGOATS LOOK TO REBOOT

Team: RangeGoats Golf Club
Previous event team finish: 12th at LIV Golf Jeddah
Season-long team standings: 7th
Top finisher from previous event: Thomas Pieters, Peter Uihlein (both T-37)
Fun stat: Bubba Watson has two eagles through three events. Only one player (Bryson DeChambeau, 3) has more.

Preview

Sometimes it’s nice not to have a long break following a tough showing, and that’s something RangeGoats Golf Club can take advantage of this week at LIV Golf Hong Kong.

The RangeGoats are coming off a 12th-place finish at LIV Golf Jeddah where a perfect storm of matters out of their control combined with not being as sharp as they’d like. For example, Matthew Wolff had to withdraw due to illness after only three holes on Saturday and reserve player Wade Ormsby had to fill in. Ormsby shot 2-over 72 on Sunday.

Wolff, however, is over the ailment and is expected to return this week. It will be a boost for the team considering Wolff has played extremely well to start 2024 as he puts a forgettable 2023 behind him.

There were rounds to draw confidence from Jeddah, as Watson, Pieters and Uihlein each had days of 67 or better. Watson had his low round of the week with a 66 on Saturday.

Which brings us to this week at Hong Kong Golf Club, which at first glance might look to be a birdie show due to its length, but there is danger everywhere. The course measures approximately 6,700 yards, but water will come into play on nearly half of the holes. This is also a tree-lined course with tight fairways, so there is trouble on even the mildest of off-line drives.

A big key will not only be accuracy off the tee, but on approach shots. The greens are large, but there are severe slopes everywhere, making pin-point iron play a must.

That kind of course might not line up perfectly for the long-hitting RangeGoats, but experience might give them an edge. Consider Uihlein, who has played in the Hong Kong Open throughout the years, and that event was held on this course. Uihlein has top-15 finishes in his three starts at the Hong Kong Open, including a T-8 last year.